


good way out

by freedomatsea



Series: a messy situation [18]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 13:20:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18389255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freedomatsea/pseuds/freedomatsea
Summary: Rio takes Beth to meet his abuela and Beth learns more about Rio's past.





	good way out

**Author's Note:**

> It's Good Girls Sunday!! I was hella nervous about this chapter, so I hope everyone enjoys!

“Look at  _ you _ !” Rio’s grandmother exclaimed, clapping her hands together as her eyes flickered over Beth with an approving nod of her head. She approached, taking Beth’s hands into hers and squeezing them tightly. “My Rio has told me so much about you.” She turned Beth’s left hand over to look at the ring.

“It fit perfectly.” Beth told her, looking towards Rio with a warm smile. 

“I always told Rio, ‘ _ when you find the woman you want to settle down with, you come to me and I will give you my ring _ ’.” She released her hold on Beth’s hands, moving towards Rio then. “You look hungry. Have you been eating enough?” 

Rio laughed, hugging his grandmother. “I am eating  _ plenty _ , abuela.” He pulled back to smile at her, “But I can always eat your food.” 

“Well, I hope you came hungry,” She said, looking to Beth then. “I have made all of Rio’s favorites.” 

Beth nodded her head, “He told me that you are an  _ excellent  _ cook.” She said as she moved to take Rio’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “Whatever you’re making smells delicious.”

“Come, come. I will show you my kitchen.” She said, gesturing for them follow her. “I have always said, good warm meals are the best way to get your family to visit.”

“Abuela!” Rio laughed. “We don’t just visit you for food.”

“Bah,” His grandmother waved her hand dismissively as she shuffled into the kitchen, moving towards the stove to turn one of the burners on. “Your cousin Raúl comes for food. I know this, your tía knows this. We have accepted that he comes for food and money.”

“Raúl’s asking for handouts again?” Rio questioned, shaking his head. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Do you have a lot of grandchildren?” Beth questioned, feeling a little out of the loop of conversation. 

“Mhm.” Rio’s grandmother answered with a nod. “I had six children and they have all had many children.” She scooped up a spoon full of one of the dishes on the stove. “You eat meat?”

Beth nodded, “I do. I’ll try almost anything once.”

“Menudo.” She explained, holding up the spoon for Beth to try. Rio’s grandmother waited until Beth had taken the bite, before she explained. “Tripe and hominy.”

Beth tried to suppress the look of surprise on her face when she explained what was  _ in  _ it. “Never had tripe before, but it is very good.” 

Rio rubbed his hand over the small of her back, “Abuela used to make that for me when I’d come here after drinkin’ too much on a Friday night.”

“So it’s good for hangovers?” Beth questioned, looking between Rio and his grandmother. 

“That’s what they say.” She said as she stirred the pot. “Very easy to make if you know what you’re doing.” She smiled at Beth then. “I will teach you one day.”

“Thank you,” Beth offered, looking to Rio then with an arched brow. “Do you have siblings?”

Rio rolled a shoulder, “Sister and a brother.” 

“We don’t see much of them, do we?” His grandmother remarked as she busied herself with checking the corn tortillas she had in the oven. “His sister lives in California. And where is Marcos these days?”

“Somewhere too damn hot and too damn sandy.” Rio retorted, giving Beth’s arm a squeeze and explained, “He’s in the Army.” 

“You’ve  _ never _ mentioned that you had siblings.” Beth pursed her lips together and shook her head, giving him a look. “Would you like any help you –” 

“ _ Maria _ ,” She told Beth with a warm smile. “You may call me Maria.” 

“Maria.” Beth returned the smile, “Would you like any help?” 

“What sort of host would I be if I made you  _ work _ ?” Maria shook her head slowly and  _ tsked _ . “You may set the table if you want.” She waved her hand at them, before shuffling around the kitchen to grab ingredients from the fridge. “Food should be ready soon.” 

“You wanna see some pictures of my family?” Rio questioned Beth, standing close to her, his hand skimming over her back. 

“I’d love to, especially since I had no idea you had such a  _ large _ family.” Beth retorted, giving him a look. “Lead the way.” 

“Abuela, you call us when you want me to set the table.” Rio said to Maria before he took Beth’s hand, leading her from the kitchen, down the hallway, and into the living room area. “You gonna yell at me for not telling me about my family?”

Beth laughed a little, tucking her hands into the pockets in her dress as her eyes flickered around the room. “So your  _ abuela _ had six kids? I can’t even imagine having that many children. Four is more than enough.” 

“And she raised them  _ all _ by herself for sometime.” Rio said as he moved to grab a photo album from the bookshelf. “Well, after her sixth child was born.  _ My _ mother.” He shrugged. “Her husband walked out on her. Never knew him.” He opened the photo album to one of the first pages.

Beth approached and looked down at the photo on the page. It was a picture of Maria on her wedding day, standing beside a young man who bore some familial resemblance to Rio. Rio flipped through a couple pages to another wedding photo, one where Maria was older and standing beside a different man. “She remarried?”

“Yea,” Rio nodded, tapping the edge of the album with his thumb. “She remarried a couple years after my mother was born. This was my  _ abuelo _ . The only one who mattered.” He shrugged a shoulder. “He passed ‘bout six years ago now. Good man.” He smiled sadly at Beth. “That’s the marriage the ring comes from.” 

Beth rubbed her thumb over the bottom of the ring, lifting her hand up to look at it. “It’s beautiful. He had good taste.” She reached out and took the album from Rio, moving to sit down on the sofa. “I was promised embarrassing photos of  _ baby _ Rio.”

Rio sniffed and moved to join her on the sofa. “Yea, she’s got plenty of them.” He watched her as she looked through the pictures of his aunts and uncles as children. “That was my mother.” He said, pointing at a picture. 

“ _ Was _ ?” Beth frowned. 

“Yea.” Rio tried to keep his expression in check, but the tick in his jaw said otherwise. “Breast cancer.”

“I’m sorry.” Beth rested her hand on his leg and squeezed it reassuringly. 

“It’s part of how Marcus came to be,” Rio admitted with a sigh, rubbing at the back of his neck. “2013 was a shit year.”

Beth reached out to brush her fingers over his cheek. “I’m sorry.” It made sense now. Grief was a funny thing. A  _ terrible _ thing. 

Rio flipped towards the end of the album, pointing at a family photo. “That’s me.” He said, tapping the picture where a little boy sat beside a row of other children with a cheeky grin. 

“That is  _ so _ many children.” Beth laughed, staring at the picture. “How many cousins do you  _ have _ ?” She questioned as she mentally counted the children in the picture. “ _ Twenty _ ?”

He nodded. “That’s Marcos and that’s Izzy.” Rio tilted his head to look at Beth. “My family’s  _ a lot _ . I never meant it to seem like I was hiding them.” 

“I mean, I wish you’d told me you had siblings.” 

Rio frowned, “I don’t make much of a habit of talkin’ about my family.” 

“Or your investments.” She remarked with an arched brow. 

“I keep shit close to the chest,” Rio admitted. “I know, I know. I’ll do better.” 

Beth chewed on her bottom lip and glanced back at the photo album. “Are you the oldest?” 

He nodded, “Yea. Three years older than Izzy and Marcos is only twenty.” 

She turned the page, laughing at a picture of Rio hanging upside down off a man’s arms. “Your father?” 

“Yea,” Rio smiled as he stared at the photo. “He died when I was sixteen. We never took many pictures together.”

“ _ Oh _ .” Beth’s brows knit together. “I feel like I’m going to wear out saying ‘I’m sorry’, but I am.” 

“Dinner’s ready!” Maria called out from the kitchen. “ _ Chiquito _ , come set the table.” 

Rio started to stand up, looking down at Beth. “He didn’t get  _ out _ of the business. Not in time, at least.” 

Beth blinked as she stared up at him. “You’re following in his footsteps?” She stood up slowly, leaving the album on the sofa. 

He tapped his thumb against his lips, hiss brows furrowed. “Tryin’ not to follow him to the grave too.” Rio remarked, before he nodded his head towards the kitchen. “Come on, let’s help her set the table.” 

* * *

“Thank you again, Maria.” Beth said as she stepped outside, onto the porch. “Dinner was incredible.” 

Maria grinned, “I am always so happy to feed people.” She hugged Beth tightly. “You take those leftovers home and feed your own brood.” 

“Oh, I will.” Beth said with a soft laugh, watching as Maria turned her attention to Rio. It was  _ nice _ to see Rio interacting with someone close to him other than his guys at the warehouse or Marcus or Gretchen or Monica. 

“You take good care of her, Rio.” Maria patted Rio’s cheek, before giving it a pinch. “And eat more. You’re too thin.” She wagged a finger at him. 

“Yea, yea, yea, abuela.” Rio wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. “If I eat these leftovers, I’m gonna gain plenty of weight.” He laughed as he pulled back. “And if I hear from Marcos, I’ll make him drop you a line. Alright?”

Maria nodded her head as she shuffled back towards the front door. “See you both soon! Send my love to Marcus. And to your little ones, Elizabeth.” She waved them off the porch, lingering in the threshold until they’d reached Rio’s car. 

“Well, that went  _ well _ .” Beth said as she buckled her seatbelt and Rio got into the driver’s seat. “She’s very charming.” She combed her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know how I’d manage with a whole household of  _ Maria’s _ .” 

Rio snorted, shaking his head as he started the car. “You see why I didn’t bring you to a family reunion to start with. Picture a whole room full of my tías and tíos, just like my abuela.” He chuckled at the thought. “There’s a reason Izzy moved to California.”

“And why Marcos joined the Army?” Beth questioned, trying to keep track in her mind of where everyone was. Maria had regaled her with many tales about Rio’s various cousins. 

“Nah, he joined up cause I didn’t want him getting caught up in my shit.” He sighed heavily and his shoulders sagged. “After my father died, I stepped up handling things. Got in with his guys, started low level stuff. Had to keep providing for my mother.” He turned his head to look at her. 

“So you’ve been in this for almost twenty years?” 

“Yea,” Rio gave a short nod. “My mother got diagnosed with breast cancer not long after he died. So I couldn’t fuck around. We needed the money.” He leaned back in his seat as he stopped at a light. “She went into remission for a couple of years. Shit was good. She was doing well. Came back with force in 2012. Didn’t stand a chance.” He glanced at her then, “Please don’t say you’re  _ sorry _ again.” 

Beth wrung her hands together, looking out the window then. “I felt like that’s all I said tonight.” She admitted with a sigh. “I had no idea you’d dealt with so much tragic stuff in your family. Is that part of the  _ real _ reason you don’t talk about your family? I mean, I get that.”

He tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel. “I ain’t one for pity parties. You know? Shit’s been hard in my life and I just box it up and overcome it. No reason to make a thing outta it.”

She reached over and placed her hand on his leg, squeezing it the way he always did to reassure her. “Well, if you ever want to  _ unbox _ it. I’m happy to help.”

He took his hand off the steering wheel and rested it over her hand. “I know you are, baby.” Rio cracked his neck, staring straight ahead. “She loved you, you know that? Think you made an old lady very happy, knowing that her favorite grandson’s found someone.”

“Oh, you’re the favorite out of that gaggle of cousins?” Beth laughed brightly. 

“I visit her more than they do,” He smirked. “So I’m the favorite.”

“That’s how that works, huh?” Beth rolled her eyes. “I’m glad I made a good impression. That was a fun way to end an otherwise stressful day.”

“Hopefully Turner’ll stay off our trail for awhile longer.” Rio suggested, rubbing his thumb over the back of Beth’s hand. “And who said the day was over yet?”

“Oh, do you have plans?” Beth’s lips twitched upwards with a smirk of her own.

“I  _ always _ have plans.” Rio quipped. 

“Even after you’ve just been visiting your grandmother?  _ Scandalous _ .” Beth shook her head slowly as she turned to look at him. She circled her fingertips against his leg, where hand was still resting. “Are you going to share with the class?”

Rio flexed his jaw, his gaze flickering towards her as he focused on the road ahead of them. “Wouldn’t that spoil all the fun,  _ Elizabeth _ ?” 

Beth ran her fingers higher. “Give me something to look forward to.” 

“I was thinkin’ of taking you to Sugar House. Night’s still young and she packed the leftovers up in a cooler.” Rio told her, dropping his voice an octave lower, making his voice seem rougher somehow. “It’s not far from my place.” 

“You like that bar don’t you?” Beth’s fingers brushed over the outline of his cock, through the fabric of his jeans, before she placed her hands primly in her lap. “They have a band tonight, don’t they?”

Rio scraped his teeth over his bottom lip and adjusted himself, “Yea, thought you might like to  _ dance _ .” 

Beth smirked as she stared straight ahead. “You know, I could enjoy some dancing. Today was pretty fucking stressful. I could unwind.” From the Agent Turner debacle to the nerves about meeting Maria. She could feel the weight of it all, settling somewhere between her shoulder blades. As much as she wanted to go back to his place and curl up with him, going to the bar where it all began sounded like a better plan. 

* * *

Rio waved the bartender down, ordering them both a bourbon on the rocks, before he turned his attention back to Beth. “You feelin’ as nostalgic as I am?” He questioned, resting his hand on her bare knee, where she had her legs crossed. 

Beth leaned an elbow on the bar, turning to face him. “I’m just wishing I brought my van.” She teased. The bartender returned with both of their drinks and she turned to pick up her glass, taking a sip. “And just like before, we’re attracting quite a few jealous looks.” 

“The other men in this bar should be so lucky to have you beside him.” Rio told her as he took a sip of his drink and sat it back down on the bar. He reached out, brushing his fingers over her cheek. 

“I actually meant the  _ women _ are jealous of me.” She told him, her tongue darting out over her bottom lip just before Rio leaned in to kiss her. It was a gentle kiss, one that wasn’t  _ starting _ something, but one that held the promise of  _ something _ . 

“I’ve only got eyes for you, baby.” He whispered, pressing his forehead against hers, before he sat back on the bar stool. 

Beth reached for her bourbon and took another sip of it. “I’m not worried,” She told him, uncrossing her legs. “I’m just amused by it.” 

“You look gorgeous tonight.” Rio drawled out, brushing his fingers over her leg. “You look gorgeous  _ every _ night.” 

“I thought we were going to dance,” Beth reminded him, her gaze dropping to the hand he had on her leg. “You could have felt me up at home.” 

Rio chuckled, downing the rest of his bourbon in one drink. “ _ Ah _ , I wasn’t planning to feel you up at the bar. That’s what the dance floor’s for.” He moved off the bar stool in one swift move, holding his hand out for her. “Dance?”

“Of course,” Beth answered, drinking the rest of her bourbon before she got off the bar stool, taking his hand. “I thought you’d never ask.” She felt her cheeks burn hot from a combination of the liquor and the memory of the last time they were on this dancefloor. 

Rio’s hands rested at her hips and Beth draped her arms over his shoulders, curling a hand behind the back of his neck. They swayed together to the music, keeping close as they danced. “Where it began.” 

“I never did send Agent Turner that Edible Arrangement.” Beth mused, brushing her fingers over the back of his neck. She smiled up at him. 

He lifted his hand to cup her cheek, before he leaned in to kiss her. “He just gave us the push we needed.” Rio ran his hand along her curves, sliding is hand around to cup her ass. “I’m glad you left them pearls for me. You know that?”

Beth’s lashes fluttered and she nodded her head, “So am I.” She ran her hands down his arms, taking ahold of his hands as she stepped away from him and then swayed closer to her with the music. “Would you’ve come after me again?” 

“ _ Maybe _ .” Rio pursed his lips. “You definitely caught my attention.” He leaned into kiss her again. “That boss bitch from the ‘burbs.”

She laughed, leaning against him more. “Standing up to you took some balls.” Beth smirked and poked him in the chest. “But now I know you’re just a sap at the core.” 

Rio threw his head back and laughed. “Yea, thanks for showin’ my abuela all those pictures you’ve got.” He narrowed his eyes at her, giving her ass a playful swat. “She  _ loved _ that picture of the tea party.” 

“She really loved that picture of you holding Emma upside down off your arm.” As soon as Beth had seen that picture of Rio with his father, she’d known she had to share the one she had of him playing with Emma. It made her heart hurt, just a little. 

“You’ve got good kids.” Rio told her. 

Beth whispered, “They adore you.” She ran her hands over his chest. “And you’re good with them.” 

“Is that some kink for you?” He questioned with a wry grin. “You like being with someone who’s good with you kids?”

She considered it for a moment. “I guess I like a man that can be  _ both _ . You’re this dangerous…  _ criminal _ , but you’re also a complete softie when it comes to my kids.” She shrugged. “Weird things flip my switch, what can I say?” 

Rio curled his arm around her waist, his expression sobering. “I want out Beth. Outta this life.” 

Beth’s brows furrowed together, her heart starting to race in her chest. “We already saw how dangerous it was for you to let go of your side hustles. How can you just  _ get out _ ?” 

“I dunno.” Rio shook his head slowly. “Dealership might be a good way out. FBI is on it too hot.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “I don’t wanna end up like my father.” 

“We’ll figure it out together.” Beth told him, resting her hands on his shoulders as she looked up at him. “Whatever we have to do.” If he wanted out, then she’d do everything in her power to help facilitate it  – even if she didn’t have a lot of resources to offer up. She tilted her head and kissed him, “ _ Together _ .” 

**Author's Note:**

> I also made notes while I was writing this to keep things straight:
> 
> Rio was born in 1984, Izzy was born in 1987, Marcos was born in 1999.  
> Rio's father died in 2000, his mother developed cancer in 2001.   
> Rio's mother died in 2013, his grandfather died in 2013. Marcos was born in 2014.


End file.
